Birmingham's automatic
promotion hopes suffered a
huge blow with this draw
but full back Stephen Carr
insists the pressure is on
chasers Sheffield United, Cardiff
and Reading.

It was strange to hear such confidence
from a Birmingham player after they
lamely failed to break down the division’s
bottom-placed club who, depending on
results in Monday’s Championship fixtures,
could be relegated this afternoon.

'Automatic
promotion is still in our own hands with
four games left and time running out for
anybody who wants to catch us.’

Promotion for Birmingham —currently
second — could seal an unlikely return to
the Barclays Premier League for Carr,
who played there with Tottenham and
Newcastle before leaving St James’ Park
last summer.

‘I retired because there
were no offers coming in, apart from one
in the Championship which I didn’t
fancy,’ admitted Carr, who made his
comeback to football in February.

‘Apart from that, there was no interest
in me until a couple of months ago, with
the opportunity to join Birmingham.

‘I had a few injuries at Newcastle but I
feel as good as new again. Winning
promotion would send out a message that
I can still do a job in the Premier League.’

Birmingham manager Alex McLeish is
not concerned by the pressure his players
are being put under by the chasing
pack.

‘Sometimes you need the nerves,’
said the former Scotland manager.

‘It’s
about how you react to them.’

Despite Charlton’s desperate situation,
manager Phil Parkinson remains
confident that his key players, including
teenage star Jonjo Shelvey, will not abandon
the club in the summer.

‘Jonjo is different because I don’t think
he’s got caught up in the money and the
cars, those types of things that come
with a young footballer,’ said Parkinson.